Pop star rages at game from beyond the grave

Plus a robot that achieves its ambitions

PopCap Games makes lovably low-grade entertainment for the common man and woman that appears on many mobile and web platforms.

But the developer felt the full legal force of the Michael Jackson estate this week - which was officially Not Very Happy about a joke Jacko zombie that PopCap featured in its Plants vs Zombies game.

The "Dancing Zombie," complete with its early-80s Michael Jackson style sunken eyes and clothing, is but one of many comedy zombies that stumble around PopCap's PvZ universe, but Jacko's representatives did not see the funny side of things.

PopCap confirmed the removal of the Jackson-alike zombie to the MTV games blog, saying it had indeed received a complaint that the Dancing Zombie "too closely resembled" Michael Jackson. Maybe if Jacko wasn't actually fairly recently dead it might've been considered a bit less of a weird thing to have in your video game.

Objective emotionlessly achieved, my master

A robot built to do one very small, specific thing has met its objective. No other robots applauded this entirely expected outcome. The Cornell Ranger walking robot is a four-legged thing that looks like it's been crafted out of golf clubs by golfers, that was created solely to beat the robot walking distance record.

Which it did.

Ranger marched on for 14.3 miles, a task it achieved in ten hours and 40 minutes.

GO GO CORNELL RANGER:Each unit will come with a man to steer and a man to cheer

And it's big blue eyes aren't for seeing, or a joke - they're rubber bumpers in case Ranger has a fall. No serious medical use was even hinted at. It's just some men having a laugh with a budget.

iPhone SexyTime

Steve Jobs, look away now. According to reports online, Apple's new FaceTime video calling application could be about to open the real-time pornography floodgates on iPhone 4, thanks to the adult entertainment industry realising it's a totally super way of parting men from their cash in return for letting them engage with a top model for a few brief, unsatisfactory minutes.

NOT YOU:Put your mum on instead, mate

The Associated Press says ads in "five" US cities are trawling for women of ill-repute to work as FaceTime live chat operatives, coincidentally offering successful applicants a free iPhone 4.

At least they'll be able to put their mobile bill down as a legitimate work expense.

Transparent scheme

A major corporation has made a joke! The corporation in question is Mattel and its Hot Wheels toy brand offshoot, which has created this Wonder Woman Invisible Jet.

HOLY CON JOB:Great way to make your money disappear

Originally stuck up on the internet as an April Fool's joke, response from comic and toy nerds with way too much money to waste on rubbish was so high that Mattel decided to put the Invisible Jet into "production" so to speak.

It was selling the thing at the recent Comic-Con geek festival. It's one purchase that will definitely lose its value if the packaging is opened.